Det har etter hvert blitt en tradisjon at escNorge publiserer synsinger og meninger fra skribenter og navn også utenfor vår egen skrivekrok. Det gjør vi også i år, og første navn ut er kanskje en av våre dagers største Eurovision-eksperter: John Kennedy O’Connor.

O’Connor har utgitt en rekke bøker om Eurovison, men har også vært å se på skjermen i noen av verdens største nyhetskanaler. Han har de siste årene også vært delaktig i delegasjonen rundt San Marino.

Vi stoler på engelsk-kunnskapene til leserne våre – og gjengir brit-amerikanerens vurderinger uten redigering:

1. ‘Icebreaker’ Agnete Johnsen.

This reminds me very much of Iceland’s song from Vienna, ‘Unbroken’; and we all know what happened there. Seems to be two different songs welded together a bit uncomfortably. The building beat of the verse disappears when it hits the chorus and as a result the song just irritates me. She does have a good voice, but it’s not my favourite.

2. ‘History’ Elouiz.

There’s something very ‘Disney’ about this song. Sort of a pastiche of ‘Let It Go’ in some respects. Maybe not. Perhaps it reminds me more of Toni Braxton’s ‘Breathe Again’. The lyrics are a bit cloying, but the song is well structured and does have a good hook in the chorus. The string arrangement helps for sure. Good strong voice from Elouiz and I could see this getting a respectable score in Stockholm.

3. ‘Feel Da Rush’ Freddy Kalas.

I wouldn’t think this would be my cup of tea, but I do quite like it. Leaving aside the egotism of Freddy name checking himself, this is probably the second most memorable of all the songs up for consideration. I think it will hinge on how it’s presented live. I can envisage a bit of a mess if I’m honest, but if it’s controlled and contained, it could be quite impressive. The live will be everything.

4. ‘Afterglow’ Laila Samuels.

Rather like ‘Icebreaker’, the chorus of this song doesn’t deliver after a promising verse and build. The piano arrangement is very nice and Laila has a nice folksy voice, but something’s missing. It is reminding me of a few other songs, none of which I can name and that might be the issue. It’s pleasant, but not a Eurovision winner.

5. ‘Stand Up’ Makeda.

Makeda certainly has the most memorable voice of all the contestants and her song is one of the most instant. There’s a hint of Motown about it, but only a hint. The lyrics are a bit all over the place, but it definitely grabs you right from the start. Probably not original enough for the Eurovision audience, but I can see it appealing to the MGP audience for sure.

6. ‘Anyway ((I Gave It All To You) Anyway) Pegasus.

Yawn. How many times have we been here before? In fact, didn’t Austria try this song last year? It’s not that I dislike it, in fact I thought Austria were cruelly scored last year, but this really is Eurovision soft rock by the numbers. It is memorable; it is well sung; it is well arranged; it is impactful; it isn’t original. Is that so bad? Sweden won last year with an unoriginal song, so…. I like it, but that’s the kiss of death.

7. ‘Into The Fire’ Stage Dolls.

Not much originality here either. Another text book Euro rock number. Again, that doesn’t mean it’s bad, in fact, I quite like it. The chorus has a very good, memorable hook, I just don’t see it having the necessary punch to win in Stockholm, although a top 10 place wouldn’t be impossible based on what’s been chosen so far.

8. ‘Traces’ Stine Hole Ulla.

Yet another dip into the Disney song book. Seem to be a lot of these around in Norway this year. Stine has a very clear, distinctive voice, although her pitch isn’t entirely to the liking of my ears. It’s just a little bit screechy in parts. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is the winner in Oslo, but what it would do in Stockholm I can’t imagine. It has a lot of winning ingredients, but perhaps too many to make it actually hang together.

9. ‘Anna-Lee’ Suite 16.

I wasn’t sure I’d clicked on the right track as I was expecting Anna-Lee to be a female voice; only for me to realize I’d transposed the song name for the artist. There’s quite a modern folksy feel to this one and it’s probably the most instantly memorable and catchy of all the songs up for contention in Norway. It’s turned out to be my favourite from the 10 on offer and the chorus is probably catchy enough on it’s own to take it through to Stockholm. I think the Norwegians would be wisest to send this one to Sweden.

10. ‘Laika’ The Hungry Hearts Feat. Lisa Dillan.

I wonder if anyone else remembers The Flying Lizards from the late 70’s who did a cover version of ‘Money, That’s What I Want’. Listening to this instantly brought that track back to me. I’m not sure what’s going on here. Electro-Pop meets Disco meets Verka Seduchka. All depending on how it’s presented live, this will either storm through the Oslo heat or will crash and burn. I have a horrible feeling the former may win out. It’s the novelty song of the whole show and for that reason only, I can see it heading to Stockholm. But it won’t be Oslo 2017 in that case.

My prediction is that if the live performance is stronger than the track suggests, The Hungry Hearts will get the ticket for Sweden as it’s the most original and different song on offer. Suite 16 or Stine Hole Ulla are the safer bets and perhaps the more traditional offerings, which may win out just for sticking closer to the expected pattern of Eurovision music in the new millennium.

Sorry to say, there isn’t a Eurovision winner in this field, but it’s early days. No country has yet picked the winning song, so there’s a lot of room for maneuver.

Tilrettelagt av Eivind Charlie M. Sætre